Friday, September 30, 2005

Self Worship

Edith Hamilton, in her masterpiece Mythology, observed that the Greeks made the gods in their own image. In other words, Idolatry/Avoda Zara is ultimately based upon self-worship. I am not the first, nor will I be the last, person to notice that contemporary culture (what some call Secular Humanism), with its heavy emphasis on the self, veers close to being a religion, and an idolatrous one at that.Now, Hassagot has posted a very thoughtful comment in which he points out that this characteristic is most visible in our attitudes toward sex and procreation. An unexpected confirmation of his musings was provided by Larry Derfner of the Jerusalem Post, in a recent, cynical hatchet job of the Efrat Organization that presents a respectful alternative to abortion in Israel.